Last Disney Trip for cousins

My aunt Jamie took the cousins out for their last chance to use their passes before they expire. Really, it was her birthday trip. We had a good time and the park wasn't that crowded. We only waited about 40 minutes for Space Mountain. Not bad considering the last time was about 2.5 hours for Halloween.

We wanted to check out the Captain EO hype. Erin didn't even really like it. Tabitha said that her mom owes her twenty minutes of her life back. Jamie liked the throw back to 80s. 

Erin doesn't like Toy Story. We always get the same score. Of course mine is higher than hers, but her face is priceless. She isn't impressed. 

Becoming our favorite ride is snuggling up on the train to go around the park. 

We turned around to take some shots of the Firework show as we were headed back to the car.

Though it was there last trip, it most certainly won't be ours. As long as they keep selling the corn dogs and Dole ice cream, we will be there. 

1st Valentine's Day with a Mrs...

The Mrs. and I waited to have Valentine's Day on Monday the 15th. I surprised her in the morning with a little note.....

After I got home from work, she made an amazing dinner with great mashed potatoes (her first attempt ever).

After dinner we exchanged gifts. We each agreed that we could do better in the future, but it's the thought that counts...

The American Dream and American Food

For President's Day Holiday weekend, we went down to Disneyland on Friday. Erin wanted to see the aninamitronic Abraham Lincoln so we stopped by to see the little show. During the show, one of his speeches spoke about striving for the "American Dream".  I wonder how different the American Dream was in Lincoln's time compared to what many think of today as an Entitled American Dream.

After walking through the park and just enjoying the day, we of course worked up an appetite for our new favorite dish at the theme park. It just so happens it may be the best deal.

Is the picture below a beloved American food product or a model representation of a human artery after eating that American food product?

Corn Dog and fries....umm soooo good. 

It's really her favorite. I am still in debate over the Monte Cristo and the Corn Dog.

It was Dad's first trip to California Adventure. We waited 40 minutes for soarin and then 70 minutes for haunted mansion. Luckily he got a pass so we will take him again on a less crowded day. It was fun to see his reactions to the newer generation of Disney rides. 

It's raining, it's pouring and Kevin is snoring

So I went to get pizza for dinner (who cooks when it's raining? really) and find Kevin still asleep on the couch...but he's had a long day so he's allowed to still be asleep on the couch. Here's the sleepy conversation that followed:

K: Oh I see you and your diet coke.

E: I didn't get any diet coke...

K: I see you and your diet coke.

E: I didn't get any diet coke.

K: I saw you with diet coke, where did you hide it??

E: Kevin I didn't get any diet coke.

K: Leave me alone.

K: Shhhh I'm listening.

E: Listening to what?

K: I'm not watching Ghost Hunters anymore.

E: What are you talking about? (Of course I'm laughing at this point)

K: Leave me alone.

K: You're just happy you got your way.

E: How did I get my way?

K: Leave me alone.

And he's back sound asleep on the couch. More pizza and garlic sauce for me.

He still looks like this when he's sleeping.

Auld Lang Syne

It's rare that you can ever say you know that the past year was the best year of your life (so far)...

But I definitely can. I hung out with, dated, danced, laughed, held hands, kissed, and fell in love with my best friend. You hear that everywhere, "I married my best friend", but i really did. He built me a yellow brick road, how could I not marry him??

We went on amazing dates both at home and out, and I solemnly swear we did not get in one argument throughout our whole dating relationship...after we got engaged we learned a healthy argument is ok every now and then.

Anyway, 2009 had a lot of many other amazing moments that made me smile, and here are a few ♥ Warning: Sap ahead. Remain seated please.

Learning how to make sushi.

Getting to be a bridesmaid in one of my best friends wedding, and also having an amazing batchelorette party too; custom DEL shirts included.

Darlene: Will you hurry up and get down here! The margarita's are getting cold.

Talking on the phone with my beautiful sister multiple times a day about all her insane pregnancy worries, then getting to be an aunt again to a sweet little pudgy girl. My little red headed nephew still has most of my heart though.

Leslie: But then I laughed really hard, do you think it hurt the baby?

Getting to go to the Temple and being surrounded by friends and family, by far one of (if not the most) amazing moments of my life.

Ghost hunting with Elizabeth.

Guitar hero with Trista.

My batchelorette party in Palm Springs and the photo album of it that I got for Christmas.

Trista: I wasn't sure what pictures to leave out...

Erin: There's pictures of me getting a lap dance from a stranger, which pictures did you decide to leave out??

Trista: The blurry ones.

Rebekah coming down three weekends in a row for my annoyingly long wedding festivities.

All the time I've got to be with my dad last year, I feel like I never really knew him before. He really is the most amazing man and I love all of his stories.

Getting along with my brother, now that I finally moved out...I guess he's not so bad.

Getting to see Phantom of the Opera, RENT, Grease, and The Grinch. Marry Poppins was in January so it didn't quite make the cut, but it was wonderful.

Sunday dinners...most of the time.

Finally getting somewhere in school.

Disneyland...every time.

Road trip to AZ. DEL, hot tub, candy, fruit snacks, pizza, hot tub, going to hooters, laying out, hot tub.

All of Kevin's random surprises. Flowers, red vines, dates, del taco. All of my favorite things.

Christmas Eve at Kevin's Grandmas, so fun to compare it to last Christmas Eve. Same place but I felt so awkward, like who is this girl??

Well now I'm family, boo ya.

Mission Inn lighting ceremony and Festival of Trees with my two dads and Kevin. My dad yelling "Light it up!!" right after the countdown.

Hearing my dad say it was on of the best Christmases this year after he kept saying he wasn't excited for Christmas at all.

I think that's it, highlights anyway. Now I'm so looking forward to 2010 and all the fun things it will bring :) Like Kevin graduating! And hopefully moving into a bigger apartment. Woo hoo!

I just love this awkward first picture.

Erin post! Read all about it!

Like a spoiled wife, I've been complaining that Kevin never surprises me with dates anymore. Like a good husband, he surprised me with a date! We went down to Balboa to look at the boats from the light parade they do every year.

The island and boats off in the distance

Boardwalk

We didn't end up seeing any of the boats up close because they were all scattered but we walked around the island and looked in people's windows (which I liked better anyway)

SO Kevin looked at this house and said "wow look at how many of those plates they have! And there's more on the wall!" Then I told him it was actually a store (notice the sign)...That's him in the left corner amazed at the collection he thought these people had.

Really cute little cafe

A glitsy house

This house was one of the light competition winner. Anything that shoots snow out of a cannon has my vote. Plus it was timed to music, I just don't know if I'd like to be their neighbor.

This was another winner. It had an actual snowman (we're talking real snow), and that's Santa flying around the roof.

This won the "my personal favorite award". Their tree was covered in lights and birdhouses!

More birdhouses

One of the boats

This was on one of the boat docks. I want to live in it.

Our new home

Snowman house (I just looove snowmen)

More of the snowman house

Yum. This is where we ate. Shrimp: Delicious. Whatever I got: Not so good.

Ok this was near Kevin's grandma's house but it needed to be posted. They had about a million inflatable things. It was like one huge Christmas bounce house.

Looking at lights was so fun, we loved looking in people's windows and judging them :) Christmas lights and gossiping, just can't get any better than that.

A day and a night in LA

This past Tuesday night, my dad treated Erin and I out to see the musical Mary Poppins. To make a day out of it, Erin and I wanted to go to the temple before hand. It was nice to have a morning off and we just hung out as we slowly got ready to go. Apparently we took too long to get ready because we left too late to make our original plan of the 2:30 session. Then traffic slowed us down and we got there at 3:15. The next session started at 3:30 but Erin didn't want to be rushed. So instead, we visited the distribution center and Walgreen's as we waited to hop into the 4:30 session. Well, as I was waiting for Erin, a temple worker told me that she forgot something she needed in the car. It turns out that we wouldn't do a session at all. Instead, Erin and I did sealings for her first time and I think she really liked it.

We got out a little later than we originally planned so we rushed on over to catch up with my dad, my aunt and cousin who already had food for us on the table at a California Pizza Kitchen THAT YOU CAN'T SEE FROM the street. Eventually we found it after doing a few circles in the middle of downtown and the only car on the road. Then we went and saw the play. IT WAS AMAZING! I won't give any spoilers because I have some friends that are planning to see it. Okay just little one, someone TAP DANCES ON THE CEILING. Pretty cool.

Then we had to rush home, making a pit stop for In N Out milk shakes of course, because I had to work the next morning....

Next up.... New Year's Eve at Disneyland